Food Security and Sustainability

This seminar addressed issues facing a secure and sustainable food supply. For example what is sustainable agriculture? And how secure is our food supply? Can advances in technology and science provide solutions in minimising the environmental impact of food production?

World food production has grown by 145% since the beginning of the 1960s particularly in developing countries. In Africa, it has risen by 140%, whilst in Latin America and in Asia it has risen by 200 and 280% respectively. Nevertheless, in spite of such advances in global productivity, hunger still remains a world-wide problem, and in the 21st century, over eight hundred million people remain mal-nourished and lacking adequate access to food. 

Over the same period the world population has increased from three to six billion and is predicted to rise to around nine billion by 2050. As total population increases, so absolute demand for food will also increase. Higher levels of individual wealth also mean people have more purchasing power, and this will further increase the demand for food. But as diets change, so demand for the different types of food shifts radically. In particular, increasing urbanisation means people are likely to adopt new diets, particularly those that involve a higher consumption of meat.